Amaranthine (The Unfading Promise)
by Red - Eyed - Raven 93
Summary: Louise promised the young Jason Voorhees that she'll come back for him...but she never returned. Still, he waited despite of all the tragedy that happened to him. Then one day, he met a woman named Cecil. She was nothing like the kind woman he loved as a child. But deep down at the depths of his longing soul... he knew that she was the one who made a promise to him a long time ago.
1. Prologue: A Promise Given

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Friday the 13th characters. I just own my OC's.**

* * *

 **Prologue:**

 **A Promise Given**

1978

 _J-A-S-O-N_

 _P-A-M-E-L-A_

 _L-O-U-I-S-E_

"You're getting good at this!" she smiled, "Just keep practicing your alphabet signs, and I'll teach you the more advanced ones. Your mommy will be very happy about this when she gets home."

The young Jason grinned. The thought of making his beloved mother happy swelled his little, young heart with pride. But the sparkle in Louise's otherwise clouded eyes made him happy also. _Could she see his smile with those eyes?_ He wondered. But his mother had explained to him that Louise had a very poor eyesight, making her unable to see his writings. The little boy could only hope.

He never thought that he would actually like her. Louise was just tagging along with Mrs. Williams, the stern old lady whom his mommy hired to be a babysitter during the day, to assist in the housekeeping. The other people who visited their home were not really nice to him; and Mrs. Williams often looked at him in disgust. But Louise was different. She loved him like his mommy did. When she learned that he was special, she did not mock him like Mrs. Williams. Instead, she immediately taught him from the books that his mommy bought for him and praised him whenever he did well.

In order for them to talk to each other, she taught him the hand signals people call "sign language." At first, the thought of another lady holding his hands scared him but Mommy seemed to be alright with it so he complied. She reminded him of his mommy whenever she taught him letters or sung a lullaby for him to sleep. Kind, patient, sweet: that was she was whenever they sat at the couch by the fireplace, teaching him the alphabet and how to read books until his mommy came home from her cooking job.

Was she kind because she could not see his face very clearly or maybe because she was different like him? He did not know the reason. All he knew that his skinny hands rested quite well in hers.

Because she can make him feel that there was nothing wrong with his world just by a touch of her hand.

"Louise, get your lazy behind off the couch and help me prepare lunch!" Mrs. Williams' scrawny voice screeched from the kitchen.

Jason heard a soft groan from his companion. Perhaps they felt the same way towards the baby sitter; but old sitter acted like a saint in front of mommy, that they have no idea how to reveal the old hag's true colors.

Louise groped for her walking stick and stood up. "I'm coming, mom!" she replied.

The moment Louise's soft, warm hand slid off his touch, panic struck Jason. He seized her free hand, anchoring her from her place. She turned towards him with a surprised look in her cloudy eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Trembling, Jason held her hand and spelled the word he learned a few days ago:

 _S-C-A-R-E-D_

She sighed and took his bony hands. At first, he could not figure out what she was trying to do, but the calm look in her eyes prevented him from pulling away. Like a putty clay, he let her move his fingers into making alphabet hand signs.

 _P-R-O-M-I-S-E_

He blinked and tilted his head. It was the first time he saw that word.

She flashed him the smile that he loved so much. "Promise: it's a word that you give to a person as an assurance that they'll do something for sure. And good people never break their promises," she said, "And I promise you, Jason, I won't leave until your mommy comes back from her work."

And she did keep her promise.

The sun had set but his mommy had not returned yet. Mrs. Williams was a bit irritated but Louise did not seem to mind. She let him read the big picture books by spelling the letters in her hand. The moment he heard his mommy's voice in the doorway, he jumped off the couch and gave his mother a big hug.

"Jason, sweetie, how's your day?" Mommy asked.

He grinned and raised his hands in front of his mommy's face.

 _I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U-M-O-M-M-Y_

His mommy blinked in surprise. "Wow, that's great honey!" she said while patting his head, "Did Louise teach you that?"

"Jason's a fast learner, Mrs. Voorhees," Louise said while walking towards them, "Although I'm still in the process of teaching him the shortcuts in sign language and—"

His mommy cut her off. "Nonsense, Jason is a good boy for behaving and learning a lot today. That's enough for me," she smiled and handed her a piece of greenish paper, "I'm really grateful for teaching my boy. I know it's not part of the babysitting job…"

Louise shook her head. Her cloudy eyes sparkled with the light of the fireplace. "It's alright Ma'am. As long as Jason's eager to learn, I'll teach him all that I know."

Jason smiled from ear to ear. He did not know why, but her words made him very happy.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Voorhees but it's getting late," Mrs. Williams chimed in, "Louise has a hard time walking in the streets in the middle of the night."

"Thank you for your time again, Mrs. Williams," his mommy said while handing the old baby sitter with a couple of bills, "I'm sorry for making you wait for so long."

Jason's heart sank as he watched Louise smoothen her long, wiry brown hair and put her coat on her moth-eaten, dirty white sweater. He wanted her to stay with him. He felt that when she goes out of the door, she would be gone forever. He quietly whimpered and held the hem of her coat.

She looked at him. A milky white cloud covered most of her brown eyes but he could still see in her eyes that she did not want to leave also. She lightly tapped his shoulder. "Don't worry little Jason, we'll continue with our lessons tomorrow," she said with a grin on her face, "I promise."

But it never happened.

Jason stood limp as her mother knelt in front of him. Louise and Mrs. Williams did not show up the next morning for their shift and mommy had just returned from the police department, hoping to know what had become of the two. Her ashen face told him something that he would not like. But still, he did not move when his mother's hands felt heavy on his tiny shoulders.

"Jason, sweetie… Louise can't come to our house anymore."

 _W-H-Y_

He spelled out the letters but he was not sure if his mommy understood it. He wanted to shout but only groans came out of his mouth. His whole body trembled despite his mommy's grip on his shoulders. Tears stung his eyes and soon enough, he could not keep his eyes open without the streams of tears falling down his cheeks.

 _Break in… robbery… rape… murder…_ those were some of the words that her mother said. He had no idea what it meant; Louise had not taught the meaning of those words to him and his mommy would not explain it to him.

All he knew that Louise could not keep her promise anymore.

He would never see the cloudy haze that hid her brown eyes.

He would never hear her beautiful voice whenever she sang a lullaby for him to sleep.

He would never feel the soft, warm touch of her hands as she taught him sign language.

Jason could not handle the pain welling inside his chest. "RRRAAAARRGHH!" his throat growled. He found himself shouting towards the heavens, with tears flowing freely from his eyes. He cried and cried but the heaviness in his heart did not leave.

"Don't worry my sweet boy, mommy's still with you," his mommy whispered in his ear as she wrapped him in her loving embrace, "And I'll never let anything separate us. I promise."

 _Promise…_ Jason closed his eyes and remembered Louise's soft smile for the last time. She was taken away from him... and she would never come back.

Once again, his mommy was all that he had in this world.

And he would do everything not to lose her also.

 _I promise mommy. I'll always make you smile._

* * *

 **A/N: Whoa, it's been a while since I wrote... anything; so I apologize if the writing quality seems to be wonky. I just wrote this fic after getting inspired by the game and after that, I watched the 2009 version of Friday the 13th. Man, I still feel sorry for the poor boy, Jason. I just wanna give him a cookie and a hug! (T_T). If you're curious, this is based on the remake version but he still has his "supernatural powers" (well, this story is partly influenced by the game after all) and his practical immortality. Hopefully, if life is kind to me, I can get the first chapter up within two weeks so you can actually know what this story all about.**

 **Thanks for reading ! (^_^)**


	2. A Breath of Fresh Air

**Chapter I:**

 **A Breath of Fresh Air**

 **Present Day**

Cecil never thought that it would only take a split second for everything she held dear to be taken away from her and for her view of the world to be reduced to a size of a penny.

And it only took her seven months for her to return to the place where it all happened.

She focused the tiny vision she had left on the lush countryside passing their way. Like taking a peek through a keyhole, she moved her eyes and head extensively in order to get the best picture. The sun shone brightly through the thick pine trees along the highway, creating various pillars of light. Rows of colorful flowers adorned the otherwise hard concrete highway. Flocks of birds and cotton threads of clouds highlighted the clear blue sky canvas as they moved west along the direction of the wind. The whitewashed rooftops of the houses stood out from the green and brown lands that covered the whole area. From afar, the town slept peacefully under the summer sun; as if nothing interesting had happened in there.

It all looked too picturesque from what she remembered seven months ago.

Because back then, Cecil thought she was already in hell.

Deafened by the monotonous hum of the engine of her younger sister's convertible, Cecil crawled her fingers across the dashboard until she felt the button for the radio. The device flickered to life and a gray voice came out of the speakers.

 _For today's news in Crystal Lake: The murder of Jake Evans, the lead actor starring the now-canceled horror-slasher film "The Serial Killer's Mask", has been considered as a cold case until last month when the Crystal Lake Police investigators has discovered new leads. While the initial investigation points to the fact that there is no foul play involved in the incident, recent discoveries in Evans' totaled Audi A5 and the shack where his body was found made the authorities reconsider the possibility._

 _Evans' rumored girlfriend, the musician/song writer Cecilia Vargas, was with him when the incident happened. While she miraculously survived the tragic incident, the police will invite her for questioning due to the additional evidences acquired by the authorities. However, her manager, Mr. Nicholas Sanders, objected; saying that his talent has already suffered serious physical and mental trauma from the incident and this action will only make her current state worse. As of today, Ms. Vargas is—_

 _ **CLICK!**_

A woman singing _Ave Maria_ replaced the newscaster's droning voice.

Cecil gave the driver the best killer glare she could give. The driver, however, seemed nonchalant about it. Despite of the chaotic month they went through, her little sister Meg seemed to handle it fabulously. Her perfectly hair-sprayed black hair danced along with the breeze when she opened the hood of her convertible. Long, slender fingers which nails were pampered with creamy white, French manicure drummed on the leather bound steering wheel. Her face was meticulously covered with rouge— hiding every sign of sleepless nights she had to endure all because of her emotionally unstable, older sister Cecilia.

Comparing her appearance to her younger sister, Cecil felt like a mental asylum fugitive in her lose, dark gray hoodie, sweat-stained blue jeans, disheveled hair, pale tan complexion and deep dark circles etched underneath her eyes.

"We're not here to play Sherlock Holmes," Meg said as if she was talking to a child, "I only agreed to this since you said we're staying away from the scene where it happened. If it were up to me, we should have stayed in San Francisco so you can—"

"I'm okay already."

"That's not what it looked like when you heard that the case is going to get re-investigated."

"Today's different, then."

She heard the woman on the driver's side sigh. "Oh please Ces, I'm a sales person with a degree in Psychology. I know how to read people," she said, "And no matter how poker-faced you try to look, I know that your head is still in a mess."

Cecil turned her whole body towards the driver. "Oh yeah? And how does keeping me away from the news can fix my messed-up head?"

"Fix you? Well for starters, at least you can focus more on what you do best: which is, making music. You're a musician, not a detective," Meg retorted, "Besides, you're not the thickest-skinned person that I know. It only takes one good troll bashing your work to send you to the end of your wits. Letting you spiral downward to another nervous breakdown is the last thing I want to happen."

Cecil pouted as she slouched deeper on the passenger seat. "What's wrong with trying to find out the truth?" she said, blinking away the tears trying to form at the edge of her eyes, "Even though I'm with Jake when he… he died, I don't know what exactly happened. All I know is, Jake and I were stranded in one of the shacks because of the heavy rain that night and then the next time I blinked, there was… somebody who hit us both with an axe. I hit my face in one of the wooden beams and my vision started to get blurry. He fought back but the one who attacked us was a huge man and Jake's punches did not even seem to hurt him. Jake said a name but I couldn't understand it because of the wracking pain inside my head. The time I regained my focus, I saw him cut both of his arms then his head and blood splayed over me. I tried to drag Jake out but then the giant attacker hit my head and…and…"

The little light that she had in her eyes disappeared as tears blurred his vision. Memories of seven months ago broke free from the restraints she kept inside her mind. The dark shadow of whatever attacked them that night loomed over her. The air around her thinned, making her gasp for breath. Every nerve inside her rattled and shook violently as the brutal scene played over and over again. She curled herself into a ball to stop herself from shaking as streams of tears flowed out from her eyes.

The car stopped and she felt a warm touch on her shoulder.

"Hey there now," she heard Meg said as she shook her slowly, "We're not getting near Higgins Haven, okay? But if you continue with your breakdowns, I'm going to drag you back to San Francisco."

Cecil nodded and dried her wet face with the sleeve of her dark gray hoodie. She steeled her face and looked directly to her sister's dark brown eyes. "No Meg, I said I'm going to come here to get in terms with myself; so I can write and make music again," she said without choking back tears, "It had to be here. Staying in San Francisco, around all those people who knew shit about what really happened here, it's not gonna make me recover. I'm sorry, I just need to get away from everything… and everyone."

She could not see Meg's whole face but she did see her eyes softened. "Take all the time you need to get back. To hell with those haters," she said, "Just remember: we're on the same side. I'll do whatever I can just for you to get back to your gig again."

Cecil cracked a smile. "Thanks Meg. I'm happy that I have a sister like you."

Meg winked. "I know, right? It's just awesome to be me. Now, let's go back to our little road trip before the sun sets. Given the place, I'm not willing to camp in the highway for the night."

The rest of their journey continued in silence. Cecil closed her eyes and let the warm summer wind cool caress her face. Crystal Lake was truly different from the last time she had been there. The scent of the earth faintly left her nostrils when they arrived at the town. When she spied a few people walking to the streets, she pulled the hood down to her face but then she found it unnecessary when she found out that the hood of the convertible already went back to its place. She could not see any of the people around her but she could feel their eyes staring at Meg's Hello Kitty-themed Mazda Miata. Not because of how her car stood out from the place's plain scenery; but rather because of the film shooting gone wrong seven months ago.

Somehow, she knew that all the locals in Crystal Lake knew what happened that night.

"Typical small town, huh?" Meg hummed, "The only building that looks modern here is their local S-Mart branch. I just wish they have Wi-Fi signal here or else I'll go crazy!"

Cecil sighed. She remembered that it was Meg's first time in Crystal Lake. It would not be long before she would hear her ever-connected-to-her-clients sister explode when she finds out that the reason people die at Crystal Lake was because no one could call on their phones.

"By the way, you still know the directions to Mom's house, right?" Meg's voice hinted concern.

"Yeah. Don't worry about my field of vision. I can still scan for the landmarks."

"That's a relie— OI, WHAT THE HELL!?"

Cecil almost flew out of the windshield were it not for the seatbelt pulling her back to her seat. Startled, she scanned the area and saw a monster pickup truck a few inches in front of them. Behind the wheel was a tan-skinned, muscular, bald teenage boy wearing a black sleeveless shirt. Beside him was a spunky-looking blondie with pigtails. At the back of the pickup truck were two or three teenagers already shouting colorful profanities at them. _Spoiled kids, probably._ She thought.

"WELL, IF YOU DON'T PARADE YOUR TRUCK LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO COMPENSATE FOR SOMETHING, WE WON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, DO WE?!" Meg roared as she leaned out of the window, "THIS IS A SMALL TOWN FOR GOD'S SAKE, WHY THE HELL DO YOU NEED A TRUCK THAT LARGE HERE?"

"JUST FUCK OFF, COUGAR! WE'RE RUNNING LATE ON SCHEDULE HERE AND WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR ADVANCES!"

"COUGAR? I'M ONLY TWENTY-FOUR, ASSHOLE! GET DOWN FROM YOUR HIGH SEAT AND I'LL FEED YOUR FACE TO THE MUD WITH MY JUDO!"

Cecil pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just let it slide, Meg," she said, "We don't have time to bicker with random strangers either."

Meg spat and flashed a middle finger towards the moving truck. "What the hell is wrong with those kids anyway?" she groaned, "So where to now, Ces?"

"Just follow that truck."

"Excuse me?"

"That road's to the abandoned Camp Crystal Lake," Cecil explained, "And that's the road we're going to take also to Mom's childhood home."

"And what does a group of teenagers doing in an abandoned— wait, DID YOU JUST SAY: **CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE**?!"

"Yes, I did."

"You mean, Camp Blood? Jason Voorhees' lair? The place where no people come back alive?"

"The house's just a few meters outside the borders of the campgrounds."

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY NEIGHBORS WITH A LEGENDARY SERIAL KILLER?"

Cecil turned to look at Meg's pale face. "I don't think we're going to have problems since we're out of his territory," she shrugged her shoulders, "Besides, I don't think we can carry the house and transfer it to another place, do we?"

Meg rolled her eyes and started to drive. "I don't know how you can be an emotional wreck in one hour and an indifferently chill person at the next," she mumbled, "You're really a complicated person, my dear sister."

Cecil let out a chuckle. Sometimes, even she could not understand herself as well.

It did not take them too long before they found again the giant truck lumbering through the narrow highway that led towards the infamous camp. Meg kept her distance away from the vehicle and their car slowed down to a crawl. Soon enough, the truck turned towards the gates which sign said: WELCOME TO CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE.

"So they're some thrill-seeking idiots, huh?" Meg said as they drove past the camp's sign, "If Jason's real, he'll be doing the universe a huge favor by taking them out."

Cecil shrugged her shoulders and kept her eyes fixed at the dense forest that slowly darkened at the setting of the sun. The car's casual pace let her study the mesmerizing yet forbidding scenery that surrounded the camp. The vermilion lights that painted the trees could possibly play tricks in an unsuspecting mind just by highlighting one area while shrouding the other. Deep, haunting notes hummed at the back of her mind, urging her to write a musical score out of the dark, bloody stories that enveloped the camp's history.

And at a split of a second, penny-sized field of vision caught sight of a strange shadow standing among the trees.

A giant figure of a man wearing a hockey mask.

* * *

 **A/N: Jake Evans= discount Chris Evans. Why? Because Captain Ameri- er, I mean Chris, is hot AF and I want a cameo of him in my fic.**

 **I bumped up the rating from T to M because when I was in the process of outlining this, I realized that I just can't write a rated T F13 fanfic (mostly because of the swearing, gore and violence; not really much on the sex part). Sorry if I shattered your expectations (if you have any).**

 **Also, please be patient. I'm still in the Introduction Arc and I'm into slow-burn romances. And I swear, that prologue is relevant to the main story!**

 **Thanks again for thesilverhyena for the honor of giving this fanfiction its initial review! (^_^)**

 **Next chapter, we're going to take a peek into a day in the life of Jason Voorhees!**

 **Hoping that life will be nice enough so I will have time to write the next chapter.**

 **Thanks again for taking the time to read this fan fiction of mine.**


	3. Spark of Life

**Chapter II:**

 **Spark of Life**

" _Jason, wake up sweetie. We have a brand new day waiting ahead of us!"_

Jason obeyed his mommy's call. He rose up from his slumber only to find out that everything around him was still the same from last night. No bells triggered, machete lying by his bedside, tools in place, books and papers scattered on the floor, fire in the furnace still burning, the burn marks etched at the walls of his room were still evident.

Those burn marks, he recalled, taught him a valuable lesson: never let anyone exploit his relationship with his beloved mommy. Anyone who would say that she is his mommy would be lying.

He had learned to kill all the bad people before they realized what was happening. Because if they did… if they knew his story, they would use his mommy again to stop him from killing them.

And he would fall for it again.

Then they would try to kill him with all the horrible ways they knew. But his mommy would simply wake him up again to finish the bad people off.

" _Jason, my special, special boy. Do you know what your gift is? No matter what they do to you, you cannot die. You can never die. So run along now, don't be afraid of anyone you come across. You're so much powerful than them. They cannot hurt you anymore."_

But was it really a gift or a curse? If he kept on waking up, how would he be with his mommy again?

He put on his battered jacket and took his machete with him. The papers crunched upon stepping on them, creating an echo in his cavernous room. He glanced down. Various hand signs and symbols were printed on the paper. The words beside those signs barely made sense to him.

 _I'm still trying to learn, Louise…_

He tried many times to learn the signs by himself he could not understand it at all. There was no one who could help him learn either.

And he could not go to Louise to ask for her help like he used to.

Jason grunted and threw the paper to the burning fire. For a few seconds he watched the flames lick the edge of the paper to ash until he fully realized what he had done. He dashed towards the furnace, snatched the paper away and trampled the remaining embers away. The edges had already been nipped black but the images were half-burnt. Carefully, he set the almost burned paper among the other stack of papers scattered on the wooden table.

 _Why?_

He did not know the answer. All he knew was that these books and papers were the only memory he had of her.

And he did not want to forget her— the woman who showed him what love was other than his beloved mommy. And through remembering her, Jason could still feel any sign of humanity inside of him. If only she would talk to him like his mommy did to him.

 _Please talk to me…I want to hear your voice again…_ He begged over and over again— but only the echoes of his thoughts answered him.

The cold blue sounds of the trigger bells snapped back his attention.

" _Intruders, they never learn. Find them Jason. Find them and kill them,"_ his mommy hissed.

Louise was once again pushed away to the dark corners of his memory. Jason felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he marched through the mines. Why did people have to go here? Why couldn't they leave his home alone? If only they would just avoid the old campgrounds, he would pour himself in the reading materials he had collected for years. It did not matter if he actually learned anything. All he wanted was to feel that Louise was with him again; he would spell the words through forming the signs on her hands and she would explain what it meant. The warmth of her touch, melody of her voice, dreaminess of her cloudy eyes… it all felt real whenever he would just sit by the furnace and read all day.

But he had to forget all of those if he wanted to keep his promise with his mommy: to always make her smile.

Jason fixed his mask and gripped his machete. He neared the trapdoor where the bell trap was connected and slowly pushed it open. The red-orange sunset light filled the gap. Soft grumbling noises of tires passing through the main road towards the lake signaled him that the the people he was looking for were near. He hid behind the shadows of the pine trees and observed the newcomers. Only two vehicles were parked at the center of the camp grounds: one was a large gray and black truck with five teenagers jumping out of it while the other was an gunmetal silver SUV with four teens coming out of it. Basing on how they behaved, Jason guessed that they were the usual assortment of kids— the type of children mommy loathed.

His blood ran hot in his veins, wanting to finish the job as quickly as he could to go back to his room but his instincts advised against it. The sun was still bright enough for him to be seen quickly and the group was still together. Going up against the nine all at once would be difficult despite the advantage of his speed and strength. Years of experience had taught him that concept well.

A hunter had to be patient if he wanted to catch all his prey.

Sooner or later, one or two of the poor fools would stray away from the group to do the bad things that his mommy warned him about.

And he would punish them according to their sins.

Jason was about to move to another observation point when another strange sound entered his ears. Another soft hum of engine came behind him. He turned around and saw the strangest thing he had ever seen in his lifetime:

A loud pink-colored car with drawings of strange cat-like creatures.

Jason shuddered. What kind of person would drive a car like that?

He watched as the car crawled past the main road. Dark tint shrouded the windows, preventing him to see what was inside. But as the light of the sunset passed through the windows, he saw a mirage of a face he desperately wanted to see again.

 _Louise?_

He felt a spark inside the cold recess of his soul, igniting the memories he thought he had already locked behind. Time slowed down as the face stared at him and he stared back.

 _Don't leave me…_

But when he blinked, the face vanished— so was the strange, pink car.

The cold winds again enveloped him. Young Jason had been put to sleep; Jason the hunter returned to carry on his mother's command.

" _Kill for mother. Punish them for what they did to us."_

The loud noises in the campgrounds brought his focus back. The sun had already set. Thick, heavy clouds obscured the pale light of the full moon. It was the time to move in for the kill.

 _First, block the escape route._ His hunter instincts kicked in. He moved towards the only two vehicles in the grounds. The noise and shadows inside the cabins told him that no one would take notice of what he was about to do. In quick succession, he slashed the tires, spilled the gas, and pulled out the batteries, ensuring that these would not hinder his plans in any way. He then strode towards the fuse box and smashed it, preventing any possible communications to the sheriff's department. He also destroyed the lines in the old radio tower, just in case somebody would be fortunate enough to stumble in there and manage to operate it. The nauseating music that the teenagers had did not stop—proof that they still had no idea what was going on outside. _Turning off the lights would alert them, better save it for last._

 _Next, place the traps._ Jason knew the whole layout camp by heart. He knew also how predictable people could be when they were already consumed in fear and panic. After years of observing his prey, he knew too well that people would prioritize their own survival above all else in times of danger. No matter how reason told them that it was wiser to stay in a group, a well-timed surprise attack would send them running away for their own lives. He carefully hid the bear traps near the escape routes he just blocked. The traps might not kill his prey; but he still preferred if his prey would not move so much.

 _Lastly, lie in wait in the shadows until somebody breaks off from the group._ Crystal Lake's natural surroundings could easily lull any ordinary person's survival instincts. People usually let down their guard when they deemed the place as lonely and secure, slowly relinquishing any guard that they usually had when they were in a public space. Not really surprising; the camp was meant to be a safe space for children to learn new things. _Safe…_ Jason could imagine his mother scoffing at that word. In this camp, no one would be safe from his wrath.

He was waiting for his first target when he heard whisperings behind him. Judging by the noise, Jason could judge that there were two people— adult women— hiding behind the tall shrubs five feet behind him. A part of him wanted to strike the two dead before they could alert the larger group; but a part of him was curious of what they were talking about. After spending a few minutes weighing his options, he chose to stand still behind the trees and strain his ears to decipher the hushed voices.

"Meg, I thought you're calling the cops," the firm but soft-spoken woman said.

"Yeah, but we can't just cry wolf, right Ces?" a playful tone came in for a reply, "That's why we need a video proof that Jason Voorhees is actually real and killing people in the abandoned camp site."

"Proof? Jason is quite notorious in this place. I'm sure the cops know that—" the voice stopped with a gasp, "Please don't tell me that you enjoy watching this."

"Okay, I admit that I don't like seeing that creepy guy in a hockey mask face to face; but I can't just let the opportunity to see sweet karma in action first hand pass," the woman named Meg said, "Besides, those little fuckers had it coming— especially that man-whore who called me a cougar. I hope Jason strangles him with his own intestines. Well, anyway, only crazy bastards will be stupid enough to throw a party in an infamous serial killer's yard."

"We don't really know why they're here," Ces said, "Besides, those teenagers we bumped into a few hours ago were with another group. Can you say, in good conscience, that they are as bad as that guys in the truck?"

"I don't think Jason gives a damn anyway, seeing how he actually prepared to slaughter them," Meg grunted, "You know what? If you don't like what your tunnel vision sees, just go back in the car and wait for me there."

"And leave you here in Jason's mercy? There's no way I'm going to do that! You're dead when he catches you."

"Jason won't catch us if we keep our distance from him, heads down and mouths shut. I'm just happy that my phone has a good camera and I brought three 64GB microSD's and ten power banks with me. Looks like I'm going to enjoy my vacation in this backward town!"

Jason tilted his head. They said that they would be quiet so he would not catch them; and yet they now talk as if they were the only ones in the world? How come they went here just to see him slaughter people? Were these people actually sane? He wanted to appear behind them and snap their spines in two; but he was too amused with their conversation that he just pretended not to notice them. _I'll just kill them last, mother._ He silently promised.

"You better wake up early, boys and girls," an authoritative voice shouted in the cabins, "We're behind schedule in fixing this place up!"

"Yeah, yeah, boss. We'll get this place scrubbed clean in no time!"

"You think we'll be able to see Jason Voorhees while we're here?"

"Why are you talking about that retarded man-boy as if he's some kind of celebrity?"

"Well, this place got famous because of him, right?"

"Nah, Desiree probably just wants to see if Jason's machete is big as the movies portray it to be."

"Ewww…disturbing mental vision incoming!"

"Why don't you get your filthy mind off the gutter so you won't have those visions?"

"I don't mind getting filthy with Desiree and Mimi in this place."

"Keep your raging boner to yourself, Frank. We're getting paid here to clean this place up before the camp opens, not to have some weird, out-of-town orgy with you."

"You just can't take a joke, old maid."

"You son of a—"

"Come on Rosie, let it go. The last thing the kids want to see is a camp ground filled with our dead bodies!"

Laughter filled the early summer night air. As the sound passed through Jason's ears, anger simmered in his heart. His hand itched for something to destroy. He just could not wait to hear their screams.

" _They don't deserve to be happy, Jason,"_ his mother whispered, _"They have to be sorry for what happened to you— to us. Instead, they make fun of you because you're special. They're very bad people, my sweet child. Don't let them get away with this!"_

 _Yes mother, I won't fail you._

The doors in one the cabins opened and one by one, the teenagers went out to the open grounds to set up camp. While most of the people in the group gathered around the campfire, two of the nine people went towards the tool shed. One of them was a young man wearing a tight-fitting, black shirt, revealing his lean muscles and the other was a young brunette in white blouse and denim shorts. The man slid his hand at the back of the woman's tiny waist, pulling him closer to her.

"Mimi and I are just going to check the shed to see if we've got everything we need!" the man said.

"Yeah right, Frank. I'm pretty sure you guys are just 'checking the shed' when in reality, you're just going to check each other out," a Goth chick droned.

"Hey, nobody said that you can't mix business with pleasure!"

"Whatever, just make sure you guys don't screw each other too much that you can't work tomorrow!"

The group laughed again as the two went away from the light of the campfire to the dark wooden shed.

Jason followed the couple closely to the shed. They seemed too busy in each other that they did not see him behind them. He also heard the two women hiding in the shrubs scamper across the camp, following him while trying in vain to keep distance. Strange people, he thought. Whenever he moved, the two also moved; when he stopped, they would follow suit. He once thought of getting them off his trail before he would launch an attack but he decided against it. Anyway, if they really did not want to get caught, they would not even dare stand in his way.

The amorous couple barely even reached the door of the shed and they were already half naked. To Jason, they seemed to be making a meal of each other as their lips sucked each other's faces. Clothing flew out of the shed as the cacophony of grunts, moans, and sharp noises of tools falling to the ground followed after the two. Within minutes, the two muttered a stream of incoherent words that Jason could only hear when two people were fornicating.

He stood outside to wait for an opportunity to strike but could not stand to hear those nauseating sounds any longer. _The cries of the devil_ : his mother used to say. His fingernails dug deeply in his palms as he remembered that the very act he was listening to was the reason why he was separated from his mother, why his mother became swallowed in misery, why she had to die horribly, and why he had to live alone for the rest of his life.

 _They must die._

Jason rustled the shrubs and banged the tools outside the shed. Hopefully, it would annoy one of them and decide to check the cause of the disturbance.

"What the fuck?" Frank said, "These motherfucking cock-blockers are gonna die when I get my hands on them!"

The wooden doors creaked open, revealing a pale, lanky young man wearing nothing but his boxers. He stomped outside and faced the dense forest. "You think this is funny huh, Bryce!?" he shouted, "Come out of there and I'll show you—"

Jason's machete sliced the teenager's jaw clean before he could finish his sentence. Crimson liquid fountained out the boy's face as he grabbed for his missing jaw. Jason kicked his bloody victim down and impaled his machete between the boy's bulging crotch. The boy howled but the sounds came out muffled as the gurgling sounds of blood and water came out of the boy's lower half of the face. The body spasmed for a few seconds but then it laid limp in on the cold, muddy ground.

"F-Frank? What's going on?" a tiny voice came from the shed.

Jason dragged the body away from the shed's entrance and went to the back door of the shed. From there, he could see the naked young woman sneaking out to the open space. She covered her body with a coarse, white canvas stored inside the shed. He grabbed the screwdriver and took a careful aim. With a quick movement, he threw the lethal tool in his hand and it struck the woman's skull. The woman fell face flat on the soft soil but then she lifted her head. Realizing what would happen next, Jason strode towards his target and stuck her face in the mud by twisting the screwdriver deeper into her head. The body underneath him struggled pitifully under his grip but then it soon became another lifeless lump of flesh.

" _That's my boy. Hunt them down and make them pay,"_ his mother whispered.

Somewhere, he could hear the two strange women talking to each other.

"Aaaannddd… the hoes really got screwed," Meg whistled.

"This isn't funny, Meg. Somebody just died in there!" Ces said, "Call the cops now!"

"Alright, alright," Meg sucked a mouthful of breath, "Fuck, there's no signal here!"

Jason smirked. His mother laughed along with the quiet howl of the pine trees, encouraging him to hunt the remaining people trespassing in their land. He dumped the bodies in the shed, whisked away the remaining blood left at the blade of his machete and started off for his next prey. No one would survive the night— he would make sure of it.

 _Ki…ki…ki… Ma…ma…ma… Ki…ki… Ma…ma…_

* * *

 **A/N: Whoa, I never thought that this chapter will get this long! Well, what's a Friday the 13th story without the slaughter of teenagers with little to no personality? (And why would I bother fleshing out characters that will only exist for a couple of chapters?)** **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **I want to end the manhunt in one chapter but I'm enjoying mapping out the scenes too much to cram it into a single chapter only; and I don't want to put out a very long one either (bad for my short attention span). Don't worry, Jason and Cecil will meet each other in the next chapter, promise!**

 **Thanks again** thesilverhyena **for the lovely review. I can't say whether Meg survives or not in this story (for suspense purposes... hehehehehe...); but she's a fun character to write, though.**

 **Thank you also for the fave/follow:** Joyousmia, Radioactive-Pingu, elizacatt, jh831, lilybean10, mmteku123, **and** ChikenWing9000. **I hope that this story will make it worth your while.**

 **Thank you also to Play With Jason (seriously, check out his YouTube channel. This guy is cosplaying Jason while playing as Jason in Friday the 13th game; and he's a freaking good Jason player too!) for keeping me inspired while I write Jason's killing spree scenes.**

 **Thank you for Red and Breaking Benjamin for keeping me inspired with their songs while I write the dramatic parts. Especially Red's _Pieces_ , which is this story's main theme song, and Breaking Benjamin's _Ashes of Eden,_ which is the other theme song. (Listening to those songs continually can give you a heavy dose of feels!)**

 **Enough with the acknowledgements, I should go and write the next chapter!**


	4. At Death's Shadow

**Chapter III:**

 **At Death's Shadow**

The stench of blood and the agonizing cries of Jason's victims dragged Cecil back to the carnage seven months ago. She could only see a fraction of the violence happening in front of her through Meg's phone yet the cold fingers of death crept under her skin. Jason's deliberate movements struck an uneasy melody in her soul. He was a predator who had nothing in his mind but to butcher his prey in all the horrible ways possible. His machete displayed his vengeful spirit, exacting judgment on whoever crossed his boundaries. The thought made her stomach churn. Jason was no human being that could be negotiated. He was a creature by the lake that had one rule: stay away from Camp Crystal Lake or die.

She and Meg just crossed that line. While her little sister was enjoying herself with the scenery, she observed the large, masked man and a thought came to her:

 _Perhaps what the stories that circulated in the media were true after all._

"Poor guy, really," she heard Meg say, "But can't say I'm sorry that Jason killed him. I mean, he made a lot of dick moves out there."

She did not want to believe it back then despite of what the locals had said: they trespassed the cursed land of Jason Voorhees and paid the terrible price. The man who attacked them was human, she told herself for months, because if he was human, he could be hunted, jailed, punished, or even killed. If he was just a man, justice would be served and Jake could rest in peace in God-knows-where. But what if the one who killed him could easily rise back from the dead?

"Are you even listening? Don't even think about doing anything stupid, Ces."

"I'm not thinking about it."

The reality in front of her racked her nerves as if pinpricks stabbed her brain all at once. She lost all feeling in her whole body— the very feeling she felt at the time it all happened— yet she felt it trembling violently. Funny that she had always reassured people that she was doing just fine. People had told her how well she had handled the tragedy, already out of the hospital after month and a half of therapy. They had no idea how that great, dark shadow loomed over her every time she closed her eyes, arms raised and ready to maul her with the very ax that decapitated Jake. Water burned her eyes, forcing it shut. Her lips were cracked; throat ran dry, but she still uttered the words even though the words sounded like a mere sigh.

 _Somebody…_

 _Help me…_

 _Save me…_

But nobody came to her rescue. Only the quiet void of the dark forest heeded her call.

The silence that she hated the most.

"You know, Jason might find a career in being a psychiatrist or a counselor. I mean, he's a good listener!" Meg quipped.

The silence that proved that she is all alone.

"You okay Ces?"

"I-I'm fine… It's just my vision got a bit darker…"

Only with the gargantuan shadow stood in front of her, carrying the head of her dead lover with him.

"Jason's gone?! How the hell did he do that? I thought that teleportation thing is just all in the movies!" Meg cried, "We gotta catch up, Ces!"

Meg seized her wrist and dragged her. She wanted to pull away; tell Meg to forget the recording and run back to the car while they still have the chance. Yet something in her told her to stay. The necklace she wore felt heavy on her neck. Her free hand felt the two rings that hang on that chain. Its cold, smooth surface reminded her of the day Jake gave it to her only a couple of months after they met.

 _"…_ _love me now, and I'll court you forever."_

And she did.

She and Jake might bicker and argue sometimes, but she knew that at the end of the day, he was the man she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. He was the music of her lips; the muse behind every song and musical score she wrote after she met him. When the time would come that they would have to step out of the limelight, they would slip away to the quieter parts of the country together. If forever really existed, she knew that it would be their love that would be unfading.

But darkness had swallowed him up— along with the light left in her world.

 _"_ _You should be thankful you didn't completely go blind…Besides, you could play instruments blindfolded,"_ People used to say to her. All she could do was laugh to herself. How could people know so much to an experience they knew so little of?

They did not know that whenever the night falls, that little light would get shrouded in a blurry mist.

And everything she feared of would suddenly appear from the inky blackness. It all felt as if she was staring right at the shadow of death. She hated it even when she was a child; but she could ignore it simply by turning on the lights. But now, how could she fight what she feared if no light would come to her eyes?

Her nails dug through her palms, trying in vain to prevent her from shaking but it was no use. Her legs were running but it all felt that the shadowy tendrils of the night would wrap her legs and drag her to the place where the sun does not shine.

And no one would be there to save her.

Then the soft tinkling of the rings colliding against each other whispered to her heart on what she should do:

 _If you want to live again, you have to kill him…_

 _Kill the one who destroyed your life…_

* * *

 _. . ._

* * *

 _"_ _They shouldn't be here, Jason. Stop them!"_

Jason marched back to the center of the camp. He had found another young man from the group wandering by the edge of the cemetery and promptly impaled him on the steel fence. Based on his memory, there were only six people left to dispose.

Only two people remained in front of the cackling fire. The others had probably gone to the refurbished cabins to get some sleep. Jason gritted his teeth as he looked at the freshly-repainted cabins. Why were they always stubborn in trying to reopen the camp? He had already killed numerous people in the past few months but the kept on coming. He groaned under his breath and gripped his machete. He would never have the peace he wanted as long as people kept on pestering his land.

The couple by the campfire sat on a log, roasting some marshmallows by the flame. They seemed to be in a serious discussion, just by looking at the stony expression in their faces. One was a young woman wearing a navy blue blouse with a black vest on top of it, her jet black hair was streaked with a silvery lock that covered her right eye. The other was a male teen with gelled red hair. From afar, he looked like a horned animal ready to gorge anyone who tried to provoke him.

"You think this is a good idea?" the woman said.

"Of course Eris, this is a good idea!" the young man quipped, "Come to think of it, we're earning loads of cash just by doing a little clean up job! We're not going to be teaching those snotty kids; just make the place look presentable and we're outta here!"

"Keith…" Eris whispered. She hugged her knees and stared at the flames, "The proprietor is sparing no expense for this project because no one's willing to step in this place. Jason Voorhees' legend is still alive in this area."

"Jason? PPFFTT…" Keith tried to stifle a laugh, "That's just an overrated horror story to keep kids in check. Thanks to Hollywood and those slasher flick fans, Jason's now an icon. The guy who thought of recreating Camp Blood as some sort of summer camp-theme park is a genius. People will pay good money just to get themselves shit their pants."

Eris sprang up from her seat. "I don't know about you, but there's something eerie about this place," she said while removing her vest.

"Maybe you should just stop listening to those emo bands to ca— hey, where are you going?"

The woman started walking towards the docks. "Going for a night swim before hitting the sack."

"Legends say that Jason drowned in there as a boy," Keith snorted.

Eris rolled her eyes. "I'd rather have Jason for company than being with a prick like you."

Keith stood up. "Prick? Hey, I'm just being honest!" he shouted, "At least invite me in your night swim!"

"No."

Keith threw his hands up in the air. "Argh, women…" he muttered and went back to roasting marshmallows.

Jason moved out of his hiding place and walked towards the lone man slumping by the fire. His muscles tensed when the young man made a half turn but then stopped.

"I just can't understand Eris…," he sighed and took a nibble, "It's always as if she's on her period. But at least the only thing I got today is a cold shoulder. Heck, she almost killed me when I told her that no matter how much effort she put, she'll never look like Amy Lee nor sing like her. In my defense, I just want her to know that I love her just the way she is; but she keep on emulating those guys. I hate it, you know, man. I'm just trying to calm her down in her phobia of this place, and now she calls me a prick?"

Jason tilted his head to the side as he watched the young man sob while nibbling the rest of the marshmallows left in the skewer. He looked really pitiful.

 _"_ _Don't show mercy, Jason,"_ his mother said, _"Remember that they're the reason why we are suffering!"_

Jason kicked the young man from behind. It did not take too much effort for the body to fall right into the burning campfire. Before the boy could resist, he impaled a marshmallow-filled skewer into his temple.

"Poor guy, really," he heard Meg say, "But can't say I'm sorry that Jason killed him. I mean, he made a lot of dick moves out there."

To Jason's curiosity, the woman named Ces did not say anything.

"Are you even listening? Don't even think about doing anything stupid, Ces."

"I'm not thinking about it."

 _Good._ Jason wanted to say. He really wanted to save the two women for last and he did not want to ruin that moment just because they wanted to play hero.

 _Next, the one by the lake._ After dumping the body in the nearby tent, Jason moved quickly to his next victim. The moon was still shrouded by dark, heavy clouds. He hid behind the trees and scanned the lake. Despite of everything that happened to him, the lake was still an exhilaratingly beautiful sight at night. If the moon was visible, it was clearly reflected on the still, dark waters of the lake. Sometimes, during his patrols, Jason would stand by the small hill and look at the vast body of water. For some reason, his tragic memories in that lake did not seem to surface if he viewed it from afar. He wondered when could he enjoy being outdoors, uninterrupted by nosy outsiders.

Then he saw a lone woman bathing at the near edge of the lake.

She floated on the water with her back turned against him. If he would act fast, he could make the lake as her watery grave. He moved closely towards the water's edge, preparing to pounce on her but he stopped when the girl started talking.

"What the hell's wrong with him?" Eris cried, "Can't he see how much effort I put just to improve myself? He always puts me down! He thinks that I'm too much of a shit to be something! And now he laughs at my fears like it's nothing! What am I going to do with him? Damnit, why can't I bring myself to dump him…"

Jason tilted his head. _Not again._

Before his victim could do a full body turn, Jason pounced on the woman to the deeper parts of the lake. The woman struggled but Jason locked his arm around her neck like a vise grip. Bubbles and muffled screams rose up from his prey's mouth but he kept his grip tighter as he sank to the bottom of the lake. Her arms flailed and tried to take his mask off but before she could succeed, her limbs went limp. The moment he felt the body to be lighter, he let go of it and let it sink to the darkness.

When he rose up from the waters, he spied the two women crouched behind the tall grasses with the camera phone pointing right at him.

"You know, Jason might find a career in being a psychiatrist or a counselor. I mean, he's a good listener!"

Only silence answered her.

"You okay Ces?"

"I-I'm fine… It's just my vision got a bit darker…"

Curiosity edged nearer to Jason but he quickly pushed it away. His prey were still out there and he needed to focus.

He closed his eyes and felt the forest around him. His home had become too familiar with him to the point that he could easily tell even if a single branch was broken. The intruders that invaded his home were a larger, and easier, anomaly to identify. Locating them anywhere in the grounds would not be too difficult for him.

And he sensed another one.

 _Archery range._

He quickly shifted to the place and found a blond boy practicing with a bow and an arrow. But before he could get his hands on him, the young man turned. He tried to grab the boy before he could do anything but the young boy stumbled backwards and fell on his butt.

" **J-J-JASOONNN!** IT'S JASON! HELP, HE'S GOING TO KILL US!"

The blond guy's high-pitched scream shattered the peaceful night. Next thing Jason knew, the lights inside the cabins went up with shadows of the people moving.

He had no more time to waste.

He took one of the bows and armed it with an arrow. The wretched boy had already gained distance but he inhaled and took a careful aim. He could still kill him in one shot but it was way too quick. He released the arrow and within seconds, the wooden missile had found its way to the victim's knee. The boy fell face flat on the ground and tried to crawl away using his arms but Jason's boot stomped down on his back to prevent him from moving. He grabbed his prey's wrists and pulled it towards him while his foot kept on pushing the boy's ribs away. The faint sound of cracking bones was masked by a piercing scream. For a weak-looking boy, it sure gave Jason a hard time before he could completely dislocate his arms. He wanted to pull it harder but his prey's voice was already making his ears tingle.

 ** _SNAP!_**

Blood gushed from the cadaver's shoulders as Jason threw away the arms on the pool of crimson liquid. He sensed somebody hiding inside the cabins up north and strode towards it. Before he entered, he smashed the generator that gave power to the cabin. Instantly, the lights vanished followed by muffled screams.

"Oh my god, he's here!" a teenager squeaked inside the cabin, "I don't wanna die!"

"Bar the damn doors, you idiot!"

"How does barring the doors will prevent him from coming to kill us all?"

"At least it can buy us time thinking on how to get out of this goddamn mess!"

"Let's just grab the keys and run the hell towards our cars!"

Jason wanted to laugh at their plans. They knew nothing of the surprise he laid out for them. Through the windows, he saw a shadow dash to the door, bar it, then ran back to the sleeping quarters. He paused to think of his strategy. While it was possible for him to break down a barred door, it would take him some time to do it; and the windows were big enough for people to go through. He circled around the cabin, smashing every window while leaving shards of glass and pointed, broken wood supports stuck on the panes. They could leave through the windows— but not without getting themselves injured on the process. It would make this chase less tedious than it should be.

"What the hell is he doing?" a young woman whispered.

"Fuck, he's smart! He's laying traps on our escape route!" a male voice replied, "I think he's more intelligent than the movies portray him to be."

"Calm down guys, I have a plan," a more mature woman said.

Jason strained his ears but the voices were too hushed for him to hear it clearly. He proceeded towards the door and struck it with his machete. It took him three strikes and a kick before the wooden door crumbled down. But before he could get further inside the cabin, a bright light flashed before his eyes and something hard struck his mask. He shut his eyes and stepped back. His muscles tensed at the impact and his feet were planted to where he stood. Suddenly, memories of children jeering at him flashed before his mind's eye. His knees shook while the rest of his body remained paralyzed. He remembered how the bigger kids punched him while calling him bad names; the others tried to put a sack over his head or just laughed at him.

 _No, don't…please stop…!_

"Run to the cars! GO! GO! GO!"

 _"_ _Don't let them get away with this, Jason!"_ his mother said, _"They're trying to separate us again."_

At the command of his mother, Jason regained control of his body and strode outside the dark cabin. The terrible visions disappeared but the anger in his heart had blossomed further. He was no longer the scrawny, defenseless boy every kid at the summer camp had picked on— every person who would cross his path would face certain death. He closed his eyes and focused. There were three people running to the parking spot. He took a deep breath and set his mind to where his prey were going. His vision blurred and his movements felt fluid like flowing water. As he neared the three, he went for the person who was lagging behind— the blond girl with pigtails. With precise timing, he jumped and struck the girl's neck with his machete. The girl stopped in her tracks; her body went limp. With another strong strike, the blade of his machete sent the girl's head flying off.

"Desiree!" the bald teenager cried.

"It's too late for her, Bryce," a brunette in glasses said, "We gotta go if you want to live!"

"FUUUUUCCCKKK YOOOUUUUU!" the boy roared and charged towards him. He threw a flurry of punches to Jason's chest but to his surprise, he felt nothing at all. After letting the boy throw another set of punches, Jason grabbed the boy by the neck, lifted him up, and jabbed his chest with his fist. He felt the bones and organs of his prey get crushed at the force of his punch. When he withdrew his hand, he found a huge, gaping hole on the boy's chest, allowing him to see the horrified face of the woman in glasses behind him.

The woman made a mad dash to the SUV. But before she could open the door, a cold, deathly sound snapped from beneath the pile of leaves and soil. The clouds had moved and the pale moonlight illuminated the pale steel gray glint of the bear trap he had set earlier.

"AAAHH SHIITT!"the woman cried as she tried to open the bear trap that caught her leg.

 _Last one…_

There was no more reason to prolong her agony. Jason gripped the hilt of his machete and dashed towards the trapped woman. He raised his arm, planning to give a single lethal blow to the head. But as soon as he prepared to strike, a sharp metal pierced on his side. Jarred by the surprise attack, Jason stepped back and pulled the foreign object.

 _A pocketknife?_

He grunted and threw the small weapon away. When he looked again, he saw a raven-haired woman wearing a dark gray hoodie and jeans. She looked rather frail but she stood like a defiant child facing her demons. But when the moon illuminated her face, a memory struck him again. All the rage, the bloodlust and adrenaline melted away. He found himself again sitting on the couch by the cackling fire in a cold, winter afternoon with the young woman who taught him a lot of things.

 _Louise?_

He paused and studied the woman's face. No cloudy white color shrouded her brown eyes. Her intense eyes looked straight right at him as if he was the only thing she could see. But her face reminded him of what Louise looked the day before she died.

 _Do you want to keep your promise?_

"Not anymore…" she huffed, "I'm not letting you do this to me!"

 _"_ _She's here to hurt you, Jason,"_ his mother whispered, _"Don't let her!"_

 _Louise will never hurt me!_

 _"_ _But she is not her. She's dead a long time ago, sweetie. And she could not come back for you… never…"_

Before Jason could react, another cold, heavy blow hit him at the back of his head. His vision spun and he fell face on the blood-stained soil. At the back of his mind, he could hear his mother calling him to get up and finish what he started. He quickly stood up and now, a brunette woman wearing a pink shirt with the picture of the strange feline creature he saw hours ago.

"CES!" the woman with wavy hair said, "If you have plans in signing up for the Justice League, can you at least let me know beforehand?"

Ces took a wrench from the open trunk beside her and held it with both hands. "I'm sorry Meg. I don't want to live like a scared kid anymore…" she breathed heavily, "This is the only way I know right now."

"What? Maul Jason Voorhees to death with a car wrench?"

"Yeah."

Meg rolled her eyes and groaned. "And people say I'm crazy…"

* * *

 **A/N: A few hours after I let this chapter online I realized something... I forgot to add an Author's Note! (o_0) Is an a/n even necessary? Well it's tradition for me to write author notes after every end of the chapter, hun, so deal with it.. huehuehue... Okay for the (fairly) serious part. First, I apologize if this chapter looks like a mess. It seems that I enjoyed the carnage waaayyy too much that I forgot that what I'm writing is a Romance/Drama story, not an Action/Thriller/Horror one. And if you're wondering if why the hell Cecil and Jason haven't hooked up already, please be patient. I want to establish Cecil's character first before getting into the good stuff ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Besides, I'm into hate-at-first-sight kind of romance, so don't expect things to be too fluffy in the early parts of the story. But it seems that everything that I've learned regarding developing character arcs have already flown out of the window after years of not writing... that's why it now looks like a mess. Don't worry, I'll get back on track (someday.. heheh lol jk..)**

 **Thanks to jh831 & thesilverhyena for your lovely feedback! Hope you still enjoy reading this! (^_^)**

 **Shoutout also to DemonicNinjaTaco for the follow.**

 **Although I admit that there's no fluffy moments yet, I would love to have your feedback on this!**

 **Cheers!~**


	5. Interlude I: Open Wounds

**Interlude: Open Wounds**

 **1980**

"I heard they got released yesterday."

"Who?"

"You know, the teenagers behind Aurora and Louise Williams' murder."

"For real? Those good-for-nothing rascals! Those hoodlums should be executed for killing a sweet, smart girl like Louise. How did they ever get off the hook?"

"I'm not sure. The court says that there's not enough evidence to give the verdict. But there's rumors circling around that there's a rich guy who paid off the jury to acquit them."

"Poor Sarah… She's the only one left in the family and now she can't get the justice for her mother and older sister. Where is she now?"

"She left Crystal Lake without a word after hearing the decision. She really looked devastated."

Jason's fists bled as he recalled mommy's conversation with Mrs. Cunningham, his new babysitter, about the news about the people behind that tragic Christmas Eve two years ago. He barely understood what was happening but for some reason… all he understood was the people who did bad things to Louise and her mother got away. A ghostly pain washed over him as he tried to process the gap between confusion and emptiness that warred inside him. He thought everything would be okay now… he thought Louise would smile in her sleep now because her nightmare had already passed… he thought that…

 _WHY!?_ He asked as he looked up the pallid white sky. He found no answer.

Memories of that somber garden flashed again in his mind. He hated that place. The empty white noise that embodied the air made him nauseous. Mommy said that a lot of people slept underneath the cool soil, with their places marked by slabs of marble and stone. The chilly air hummed a sad melody that made him squirm. The sign read: _Eternal Peace Cemetery_ , yet why did he felt as if the people that slept in that place were not peaceful at all?

He was there when people had put Louise's shiny, brown box in the hole they dug in the cemetery. The box looked very nice but how come it had no holes? He clasped his mommy's hands tightly as he watched the short haired brunette, Louise's little sister, wail in front of the two caskets. He wanted to cry also but his mommy ordered him not to cause too much of a scene. Besides, Louise would be very sad if she took a peek in the clouds above and see him crying. Still, the pain stabbed his chest when they opened the wooden caskets so people could say their final goodbyes. His mommy went, along with the handful of people who attended the ceremony but his feet remained rooted to the ground. The void in his heart paralyzed his legs and stung his eyes. Soon, tears streamed down his face. It felt as if somebody had just ripped his heart out of his chest and nothing could fill it up again.

He hoped that it was all just a bad dream. Mommy could still wake him up, prepare him a mug of bittersweet, hot cocoa, and sing him a lullaby so he could sleep again. He pinched himself. The pain instantly registered in his arm.

It was all real. He was wide awake.

Mommy said that once justice was served to the thieves who broke in their house, everything would be okay; that Louise could now sleep peacefully if those who killed her would suffer horribly.

But now that the thieves were freed, would it bring nightmares to her?

He had always loved watching when she was taking a nap when Mrs. Williams was doing chores. Her expression was soft but her eyelids seemed to be fluttering like the wings of a butterfly. It made him laugh whenever he could see her that way.

If Louise slept in that box, she would probably look like that also.

And the thought of that peace being shattered because of the news had wrung his heart like a wet dishrag.

His wrists ached as he plunged an ax to the soft, furry flesh of the animal tied against the tree. The faint whimpers of the mammal did not satiate the burning sensation consuming inside him. He gritted his teeth and hacked the creature until warm, crimson liquid spilled out of its body. The heat clouded all of his senses and convinced him that it was the only way to get rid of the uneasiness inside him. It locked his fingers against the rough surface of the wooden handle of the ax. It gave him the strength to strike repeatedly despite of his body's protests.

Again, and again, and again...

If he would continue this, he believed, the pain would go away.

His thoughts lied, though; the heavy, uncomfortable feeling remained in his heart despite the fact that the creature in front of him was no more than just a hunk of bloody, raw flesh.

The searing, white hot pain still burned every inch of his soul.

His frail legs gave away and next thing he knew, a raw, stinging sensation scraped his knees. It was only then that his fingers loosened at the wooden grip of the small tool he had. A cry escaped from his lips as he clutched the ugly red gash on his knee. Warm tears ran from his eyes down to his cheeks. The fire inside him subsided, but it was replaced by a dull, ringing pain in his heart.

Underneath the pallid, white sky, Jason screamed as he lied down on the bloodstained patch of grass. Only the dead, gray winds took pity of the boy and carried the voice of his indescribable pain to the place where people took their final resting place.


End file.
